


Not the Best, But Not the Worst

by carousalliewrites



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: F/M, The Worst Couple, not everything is jade's fault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25035457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carousalliewrites/pseuds/carousalliewrites
Summary: "And that was the kicker, wasn't it? Everyone finally had confirmation of what they'd suspected all along." How The Worst Couple should have gone.
Relationships: Beck Oliver/Jade West
Comments: 5
Kudos: 124





	Not the Best, But Not the Worst

**Author's Note:**

> My take on how ‘The Worst Couple’ should have gone after Beck’s outburst.

"I'm not happy with our relationship!"

A tense silence descended over the stage at Beck's outburst, somehow made worse by the complete lack of response from Jade. Sinjin floundered for a moment before calling for a commercial break, rushing off to go beg the executive to not leave. Beck opened his mouth to say something, perhaps to apologize, but Jade was up and out of her seat before the first syllable left his mouth. 

She'd caught a ride with Beck to the studio, but now she was kicking herself for not taking her own car. In no mood to speak to anyone, she sprinted in the opposite direction of where everyone had parked and scouted the nearest coffee shop. Once out of the street view, she pulled out her phone to request a taxi. 

8 missed calls, 18 texts, and 4 messages on the Slap greeted her, but she ignored them all as she dialed for a local taxi company. Ride home secured, she ordered a latte and sat down to wait for her ride. Unbidden, because of course they did, her thoughts drifted to Beck. 

She always knew, deep down, that their relationship was not healthy. She knew she could be unreasonable, illogical, overprotective, and possessive. Even as she felt herself becoming those things, she couldn't stop, overwhelmed by all-consuming anxiety that she would lose Beck. She wasn't sure when she'd become the sort of girl whose whole life was consumed by a boy, but she didn't like it. 

Beck wasn't blameless either, but she knew none of their friends would see it that way. They only saw "crazy jealous Jade," losing her mind. They never saw supposedly-committed Beck allowing girls to throw themselves all over him all the time, even knowing how much it bothered his girlfriend. She could only imagine what they were saying about her now, probably congratulating Beck for finally standing up to the evil witch and freeing himself from her clutches. Who cares what they thought, she didn't need them. 

She didn't need anyone. Not even Beck. 

_ Liar _ , a quiet voice whispered in the back of her mind, but she pushed it aside for now. She could break down in her bedroom, not in the middle of a coffee shop. 

Her phone buzzed with a text from the taxi company, notifying her that her ride was pulling up. She threw back the rest of her drink before stepping out of the shop and into the taxi. Mercifully, the driver seemed to sense her distaste for small talk and left her to her thoughts in the backseat. 

The ride back to her house was about twenty minutes, entirely too much time to sit and mourn her relationship. There was no way they could really come back from Beck screaming in front of everyone that he wasn't happy with their relationship. Even if they did somehow find a way to work it out, everyone would always know that Jade made Beck miserable. 

And that was the kicker, wasn't it? Everyone finally had confirmation of what they'd suspected all along. 

When the driver pulled up to her house, she mumbled a distracted thanks, handing him his fee and a generous tip before sliding from the car. She didn't notice the figure on her front porch at first, too busy contemplating the least embarrassing way to ask Beck for her stuff back, but she stopped short when she saw them. Too defeated to shoot her walls back up, she sighed heavily as she continued up to the porch. 

"What do you want?" She grumbled, sliding her key into the lock. Tori looked confused, as if her showing up unannounced at Jade's house was a regular occurrence and not at all cause for hostility. 

"I wanted to make sure you were ok." The other girl explained, looking as if she was trying to choose her words carefully. "You disappeared before I could offer you a ride back."

"If you're here because you pity me, you can just leave." She warned her, holding the door closed as she shot her an annoyed look. 

"I don't pity you, Jade, I wanted to make sure you got home ok and check on you." She insisted. 

"Did _Beck_ ask you to do this?" Jade grumbled. It would be so like him to send his friend over to check on her instead of going himself. 

"No." Tori scoffed, disgust crossing her features. "He's still at the studio for all I know." 

"What do you mean? Didn't you guys all leave together to go celebrate his liberation from me?" 

"Of course not!" Tori responded, affronted by the mere suggestion. "Cat and I tried to catch you before you left, but you were too quick. Robbie took her home, she was so upset after she hit Beck, and I—"

"Wait, Cat hit Beck?" She asked, having trouble wrapping her head around the idea of sweet, innocent Cat hitting anyone, let alone Beck. 

"Yeah, we were all so angry at him for what he did to you, but Cat just lost it. I don't think I've ever seen her so mad before." Tori recounted, shaking her head. "André tried to stop her, but she just about clawed his face off to get to Beck. He let her get in three good hits before he finally pulled her off."

"I...I don't understand."

"Yeah, it was pretty shocking, Cat has a really fantastic right hook—"

"No, I don't understand why you guys were mad at Beck." To Jade's confusion, Tori's face grew somber. 

"Jade...did you think we'd all side with Beck? After what he did?"

"Yes?" 

Because why wouldn't they? They always did, that's always how it was. Why should this time be any different? 

"I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot, but I like to think we've come a long way. I'd even dare call us friends—"

"Please don't."

"My point is, Beck did a really crappy thing. And friends or not, you didn't deserve that, and I'm sorry. I won't stick around if you'd rather be alone, but I just wanted to come make sure you're ok. So...are you ok?" 

Jade briefly considered lying, but looking at Tori's earnest expression combined with the day she's had, she just can't do it. So, instead, she swallowed her pride and admitted the ugly truth. 

"Not really, no. And if you're not busy, and you don't have plans..."

"I'll order pizza, why don't you go pick out a movie?" 

Five hours later, Jade has—and her surprise at this fact cannot be overstated—had fun with Tori Vega. She sat through The Scissoring 1 and 2 without complaint, paid for their pizza before Jade could even look for her wallet, and also bribed Trina to bring them both ice cream. They hadn't spoken a word about what happened since they stepped foot in the house, and Jade would forever appreciate that Tori had enough sense to not be the one to bring it up. 

But then the movie ended, the pizza and ice cream were long gone, and it was time for Tori to head home. Jade offered to drive her home, even as some new part of her scrambled for an excuse to dawdle. None came to mind, so the two girls got into Jade's car and began to drive to the Vega residence. 

Or, at least, they attempted to. Because as soon as Jade began to back her car down the driveway, a familiar pickup truck swooped into her path. Before Jade could even start to think about it, she was out of the car in an instant. 

"No!" She yelled, pointing an accusing finger in Beck's direction as he looked back at her wide-eyed and startled. He hadn't exactly expected a warm welcome, but this reaction was swift and shocking even by her standards. "Go home!" 

"Jade, please, listen to me, I—"

"I don't care!" She interrupted him, and if she weren't so focused on Beck, she'd be mortified to notice her neighbor was watching them from across the street. "Go home!"

"Beck," Tori piped up gently, once she finally stepped out of the car, "maybe you should get some sleep before you two talk about this."

"What's there to talk about?" Jade threw her arms in the air in exasperation but took care to keep her ire firmly directed only at Beck. "I think you said enough on the show!" 

"I'm not the bad guy here!" 

"Oh, and I am?"

"That's not what I'm saying!"

"Oh please enlighten us, great one, what you—"

"I'm tired of fighting." Beck sounded so defeated by this admission, it was enough to give Jade pause. "I shouldn't have blurted it out in front of everyone like that, but I can't pretend I didn't mean it. All we've done lately is fight and snip at each other, and I'm just...I'm not happy. Can you honestly say that you're happy with our relationship?" 

"No," Jade admitted, surprising herself with how quickly her reply came and how much lighter she felt. "I'm not." 

"So, what do we do about it?" 

"Do you want to break up?" Beck felt as though the question had come out of left field, but he knew deep down he should've expected it. That didn't make it any easier to hear, regardless. 

"Do you?" 

"I don't want to be the one who keeps making you miserable." 

Deep down, Jade had always known this was how they'd end up. She hadn't anticipated it coming out on a quiz show and culminating in a fight in her driveway with Vega present, but the result was the same. Overbearing, controlling Jade driving away the one person she'd let herself believe she could always count on. 

Beck, meanwhile, found himself feeling as if he was really seeing Jade for the first time. He wasn't an idiot, contrary to popular belief, and he knew what people thought about their relationship. He just never thought Jade thought it too. 

"You don't. Jade, our issues are not your fault. We've both done things to each other that I doubt we're proud of, but you've always been one of the few people who doesn't make me miserable." 

"So, what now?" 

"Tell me that you love me."

"What?" Jade blurted out, stunned you be on the receiving end of this question for once. 

"Tell me that you love me." He repeated, sounding so uncharacteristically vulnerable that even Tori frowns at the question. 

"I love you." Her response was swift and honest. 

"Then, this thing is worth working on." He smiled, lightened by her confirmation, and Jade couldn't help but smile back. "But not tonight, it's past midnight, and my parents will kill me if they catch me breaking curfew. Meet me at Tito's at 10?" 

"It's a date." Beck nodded, still smiling, and turned to his truck when another thought struck him. 

"Oh, and Jade?" 

"Yeah?" 

"The answer was C."

"Goodnight!" She yelled pointedly, but Beck hardly heard her over the sound of his own laughter. 

When she turned back to her car to drive Tori home, she scowled at the wide grin stretched across her face. 

"Say one more word, and I _will_ crash this car."

"I didn't say a thing."


End file.
